Literary programme
José Manuel Fajardo – “The Hate”
The hate we see erupting on social media is nothing new; it simply uses new technological channels. Through the power of literature, this short novel reveals the recurring patterns of hatred. In the nineteenth century, a maker of sour canes walks the foggy, impoverished streets of London. Finding no social recognition, he sinks deeper and deeper into the city’s underworld. At the beginning of the 21st century, in the Parisian suburbs, we witness the transformation of a frustrated young man unable to confront others except through anger and violence. The mirroring of these characters reveals the image of the demons of self-hate across two eras, pulls them out of anonymity, and shows the traces of their hidden and deadly paths among us. The author undertakes a literary exorcism of our time. A strong, relevant and original text.
Moderation: Michi Strausfeld
